Dreaming of a White Christmas

Dreaming of a White Christmas - Day 7

December 07, 2023

Another Day, Another Country

Again the world was shrouded in a blanket of white this morning. To think we had thought that this early in the European winter the best we could hope for was perhaps a light snowfall.

I keep using the words winter wonderland, but I don’t know how else to describe it. The camera doesn’t do it justice either. It is simply amazing.

We were up early, suitcases outside our door before breakfast, and ready to disembark by our appointed time of 8:30am. I can’t help but think the staff, particularly the excursion manager Oliver would have been very pleased to see us go. The experience has certainly been a learning curve for the a-rosa staff with respect to catering for and including other nationalities, and for us, in advocating for ourselves and realising that in some places we English speakers are the minority group.

Anyway, we waved the ship goodbye, with plenty of happy memories and wonderful experiences to outweigh any negatives, and put our safety in the hands of the Black Lane drivers who were engaged to transport us from the end of the cruise at Engelhartszell to Prague, some 3.5 hours away (depending on road conditions).

Taking in the landscape as we travelled, we crossed the border into the Czech Republic at 10:30am. Our driver stopped briefly at a fuel centre where there were toilets and apparently coffee. The toilets required coin entry, either in euro or Czech crown, but the language beat us when it came to the coffee machine. It was nice to get out and stretch our legs, however.

As we continued the sun came out and we were treated to patches of blue sky. Here there appeared to be slightly less snow, based on the fact that while the ground was covered, the trees weren’t, but we still felt as though we were in a scene from a postcard. I love the colourful buildings in each of the towns we passed through … great for finding your house in a mid-winter blizzard, I’m sure.

I have a new appreciation for the simplicity of life in the climate we live in - yes 5 or 6 times a winter we might have to pour some water on the windscreen of a car that has been left out in the frost overnight, but at home in Central Victoria we never have to dig our cars out of the snow or shovel our doorways and paths clear before we can go anywhere. Then there are the layers of clothes that must go on before you walk out the door, but need to come off very quickly when you walk into a building, as everything is so well heated. It’s clearly not a simple life.

As we travelled over the mountains the weather deteriorated and the snow cover was again plentiful. This didn’t seem to concern our driver however and when we reached the dual lane highway, he picked up the pace. We finally reached our destination in Prague at about 1pm, walked the short distance to our hotel and checked in. Our rooms were ready, so we settled in before re-convening in the downstairs restaurant for coffee and lunch.

The hotel U Zlateho Stromu (which translates as At Golden Tree), is an absolute treasure. It is a one-minute walk from the famous and much-admired (judging by the large numbers of people crossing it this afternoon) Charles Bridge and a 7-minute walk from the Old Town Square. The building itself is stunning and the rooms are a journey back into an opulent past. The panelled, and beamed ceiling is decorated with intricate paintings, the rooms are spacious and fully furnished with beautiful old pieces, windows covered in heavy drapes, and gilt-framed paintings on the walls.

We spent the afternoon doing our own exploring. Wallsy and I went over the Charles Bridge to the Lesser Town and had a wander around the narrow, cobbled streets before returning with no particular plan in mind until we were accosted by a tout for the boat tours and thought, ‘Why not?’

Under the bridge we went, and joined the boat. After receiving our free hot wine and ginger cake, we enjoyed a 40-minute tour of the Vltava river and adjoining canals, learning a great deal of history along the way.

We met up with the rest of our group to head out for our dining experience at the U Pavouka (at the Spider) where we enjoyed a medieval dinner of soup, pork (most of a very small pig!) or chicken and duck, and some sort of cake, accompanied by plentiful amounts of wine or beer. There was entertainment in the form of rousing music provided by bagpipes and two different drums, along with fire eaters, sword fights, dancers and acrobats. Very entertaining.

After dinner we wandered the magic Old Town Square where the Christmas Market is set up, astounded by the fairy tale towers of the palaces, churches and monasteries surrounding the square.

What a magical place Prague is.